<< Back
Budget, Education & City Services
NYC School Budget Cuts
WHEREAS, On January 31, 2008, New York City public schools received an abrupt announcement from the Mayor's office that their budgets would be cut resulting in a total cutback of $180 million during this fiscal year and $324 million next fiscal year; and
WHEREAS, Cuts to the school budget impact each school's day to day operational expenses such as new teachers' salaries, arts education, after-school programs, etc; and
WHEREAS, Neither the school principals nor school community were conferred with for their feedback on where these cuts would be best directed; and
WHEREAS, The Center for Arts Education issued an impact statement on February 8, 2008 reporting that school principals are finding no way around cuts to arts instruction and other key programs during this budgetary squeeze and given the narrowing of curriculum that is already underway due to an increased focus on testing and test preparation, arts education will be cut resulting in an unbalanced curriculum for students; and
WHEREAS, These cuts dramatically impact the public elementary and middle schools that service Community Board Five as nearly all are vastly overcrowded, and many of these schools have eliminated arts classes, science labs and gyms in order to use them as classrooms to accommodate more students; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That Community Board Five urges Mayor Bloomberg not to make school budget cuts this fiscal year nor next fiscal year and to find ways to collaborate directly with school principals and school community on where cuts can be made elsewhere in the system.
The above resolution passed by a vote of 26 in favor, 0 opposed, 1 abstention.